Tuesday Poetry Stretch - Feeling Fibonnaci

Have you seen this?

If you want more, you check out Part 2, and Part 3 of Doodling in Math Class: Spirals, Fibonnaci, and Being a Plant. Oh heck, while you're there check out Vi Hart's channel where math + art = poetry!

Now that you've seen the video, I know you're itching to write a Fib (or at least I am).

Greg K. from GottaBook posted his first Fib entry on April 1st, 2006. Was it an April Fool's joke? I think not. Here is an excerpt that describes the form of a Fib.

I wanted something that required more precision. That led me to a six line, 20 syllable poem with a syllable count by line of 1/1/2/3/5/8 – the classic Fibonacci sequence. In short, start with 0 and 1, add them together to get your next number, then keep adding the last two numbers together for your next one.

In the post More Fibbery, Greg talks about some of the rules he follows when writing. Here are a few of them.

Since I started Fibbing to focus on word choice, the one rule I've held myself to is "no articles in the one syllable lines." I also try not to use conjunctions, though part of that is that when I use them, I start singing School House Rock and annoy the neighbors.

You can read lots more about Fibs at GottaBook. So, just a reminder, here is the sequence for your Fib. Each of these numbers represents the syllable count for that line.

1
1
2
3
5
8

You can keep going if you like, just remember to add the previous number to the current line to get the next number of syllables.

So, your challenge is to write a Fib. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award 2011

This year I had the pleasure of serving as a judge for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. After months of reading, the committee of judges met virtually to discuss our top choices. The authors have been contacted, so we've been given the go-ahead to share the news. I am pleased to announce this year's choices.

Winner

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

written by Lee Wardlaw and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Honor Book

Hidden
written by Helen Frost

Congratulations to Lee Wardlaw and Helen Frost.

Cybils Winners Announced

Yes, they're in. Go now!

Cybils 2011 Winners

And here are the short lists they were selected from.
Cybils 2011 Finalists

Tuesday Poetry Stretch - NOT About WHO You Love, But WHAT You Love

I was given a book of love poems (Shelley) when I was a teen. My response then was ... YUCK! Thirty+ years later, my opinion hasn't changed much. I'm not a big fan of love poetry, but I am a big fan of odes. I enjoy reading about the things people obsess over. I could read poems about birds, a favorite pencil, dad's chair, and lots of other things you can name, over and over. So, while I'm not about the mushy, heartfelt, loving another human being desperately, kind of poem, I do appreciate other kinds of love.

This week let's write an ode to your favorite pair of slippers, an old t-shirt, that ticket stub collection, or anything else that floats your boat. What thing do you love? I can't wait to read your poems.

Poetry Friday - A Happy Childhood

I don't normally write about political issues, but today I must, so please bear with me. (If you just want the poetry without the preface, scroll down a bit.)

I was adopted in 1965 shortly after my birth. Just over a year later, "Baby Cross" officially became a member of the Stohr family. I was so fortunate, so lucky, and so loved. I still am. Because of this legacy, I believe that every child should have the opportunity to grow up in a loving home. I also believe that every willing and qualified individual and/or family should have the right to provide such a home. This is why I'm so disappointed that the Virginia state Senate approved a "conscience clause" bill that allows state-funded (albeit private) adoption agencies to deny placement services to children and prospective parents who "don't share their beliefs." The governor will sign this bill if it crosses his desk. When this happens, the state of Virginia will effectively legalize discrimination by allowing organizations to deny the adoption of children by gay parents. You can read more about this issue in the article Adoption agencies 'conscience clause' passes Senate.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be if I hadn't been adopted. Every child deserves to have the kind of childhood I had, and every family deserves an equal opportunity to provide it. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Since I'm wishing and hoping for homes and happiness for children everywhere, I'm sharing a poem that has many lines I love and reminds me in many ways of aspects of my very happy childhood. 

A Happy Childhood
By William Matthews

Babies do not want to hear about babies; they like to be told of giants and castles. 


Dr. Johnson 



No one keeps a secret so well as a child 


Victor Hugo

My mother stands at the screen door, laughing.  
“Out out damn Spot,” she commands our silly dog.  
I wonder what this means. I rise into adult air

like a hollyhock, I’m so proud to be loved  
like this. The air is tight to my nervous body.
I use new clothes and shoes the way the corn-studded  

soil around here uses nitrogen, giddily.

Read the poem in its entirety.

The round up today is being hosted by Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids. Do stop by and take in all the great poetry being shared. Before you go, stop by and check out the skeletonic verses written for this week's poetry stretch. Happy poetry Friday all!

Monday Poetry Stretch - Skeletonic Verse

While looking over verse forms I came across some references to Skeletonic verse. Most references link back to Robert Lee Brewer's blog Poetic Asides, but I can't get the darn link to work. So, here's what I've been able to cobble together from other sources about the requirements for writing in this form.

• Lines should be between three and six words in length
• Every end word rhymes with the previous, until a new set of rhymes is started
• The rhyme should stay the same until it loses its energy or impact

You can read a much more academic definition at Poetry Magnum Opus - Skeletonic Verse / Tumbling Verse / Sprung Rhythm. You'll also find an example here (in ye olde English!).

You'll find a nice description at Daniels Nester's Teaching blog with examples of rap lyrics that fit this form (though perhaps not the line length).

I'll share one more example, this excerpt from an Allen Ginsberg poem.

Jumping the Gun on the Sun  
by Allen Ginsberg

Sincerity
is the key
to living
in Eternity

If you love
Heav'n above
Hold your ground,
Look around
Hear the sound
of television,
No derision,
Smell your blood
taste your good
bagels & lox
Wash your sox 

Read the poem in its entirety.

So, your challenge this week is to write a skeletonic verse. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Award Winners and Poetry

I know everyone is writing about ALA midwinter and all the awards announced yesterday. Have you taken stock of the poetry on the list? Here's a recap from a poetry perspective.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards - Author Honors
The Great Migration: Journey to the North, written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Never Forgotten, written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon 

Pura Belpré Author Award Winner AND William C. Morris Finalist
Under the Mesquite, written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Pura Belpré Author Honor Book 
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck, by Margarita Engle

John Newbery Medal Honor Book
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

This is not a bad showing for poetry. Check out all the winners at the 20102 ALA Youth Media Awards page.

Monday Poetry Stretch (On a Tuesday) - Homework

I've had a hard time getting my homework done these days. Over the weekend my son asked why I still have homework if I'm not in school anymore. Well, technically, I am still in school (and will be in school until they drag me out kicking and screaming), though he doesn't see it this way. I did try to explain that sometimes people just need to bring their work home. My homework consisted of reading through a stack of poetry books published in 2011. Not a bad assignment as far as I'm concerned.

My students are complaining about homework, though they're doing it. My son is complaining about his. (He's doing his too!) So, now that we've hit mid-year (academically), let's write about the homework that's dragging us down. Perhaps someone out there will write an ode to homework that's actually positive!

Monday Poetry Stretch - Like LEMONADE or Lawson

Okay, I know it's Tuesday (and late on Tuesday), but classes started yesterday and I got a bit behind. Please forgive me!

I have been reading and rereading Bob Raczka's book LEMONADE: AND OTHER POEMS SQUEEZED FROM A SINGLE WORD. I'm really impressed by the way he used each word to provide the constraints for the lipogram he wrote. The letters from each word are the only letters allowed in the poem ABOUT that word. It's elegant and probably very difficult to pull off, but we're going to try! For a bit of inspiration, here's one of my favorite poems from the book.

bleachers

ball

reaches

here

bases

clear

cheers

So, there's your challenge for the week. Pick a word, any word, and use the letters in it to write a poem about that word. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

**Updated**
I was thinking a bit about Jane's comment that this exercise if more like Boggle than poetry. It's not a bad comparison given the constraints. If you need a little more wiggle room, try the form of lipogram favored by JonArno Lawson in A VOWELLER'S BESTIARY. This alphabet book is based on vowel combiations rather than initial letters. The lipograms in this book exclude certain vowels  from each set and include each of the vowels in the word. Here's an example.

Excerpt from  "Moose"
(p. 30) 

Yellow-toothed wolves
lope somewhere close, rove homeless over broken slopes,
overwhelm moose's forest home.
Moose seldom welcome wolves.

In this case, the poet is limited only to vowels and vowel combinations, not limited to using only the letters found in the word. Feel free to try this approach if it works for you. Either way, i guess we're writing lipograms!

Resources on Pinterest

I blame my students for seducing me, and Loreen Leedy for finally convincing me to take the plunge. Let me back up. Have you read the post Pinterest for nonfiction (and everything else)! by Loreen Leedy? Leedy has a new book coming out called SEEING SYMMETRY. She has a Pinterest board dedicated to Seeing Symmetry. The images she has found are very cool. I'm already thinking about how I can incorporate these ideas in math this semester.

So, based on Loreen's post, I asked her to invite me to Pinterest. I've only started pinning, but what you'll find are largely resources devoted to teaching, though I do have a board for 2012 books I can't wait to read.  Here are a few links to my boards.

Math Resources

2012 Books I Can't Wait to Read

My Pinterest Account (other boards include foldables, classroom organization, making teaching easier, bulletin board)

If you like this idea and don't have an account, send me a note and I'll invite you.

Top Five List Continued

Okay, here's the recap. In my last post I began the excruciating task of picking my 5 favorite books of 2011. I had to leave for a meeting before I finished, so here are my last two choices. (If you want to know what the other three are, you'll need to check out my last post!)

Can We Save the Tiger, written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Vicky White - No surprises here. Did you honestly think I'd make a favorite book list and leave out science? I loved a lot of nonfiction picture books this year, but I was especially impressed with Jenkins take on endangered species. The language is compelling, yet easy enough for children' to understand. Jenkins does a fine job emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts and recognizing this complicated work. Good science and fabulous illustrations make for a terrific read.

The House Baba Built: An Artist's Childhood in China by Ed Young - This is a moving memoir provides a unique look at Young's early years in Shanghai. Not a straightforward narrative, but rather an episodic look at growing up in a fantastical house (where kids roller-skated on the roof and rode bikes in an empty swimming pool) during years of depression, occupation, and war. Young's illustrations are beautiful collages constructed of sketches, painting, paper, and photographs.

2011 Recommendations - Top Five Lists

Are you looking for some of the best reads from 2011? The staff members at Powell's each selected their top 5 titles of the year. There are picture books, middle grade novels, young adult titles and plenty of adult fiction in here. It's a fascinating collection of lists that has given me some new titles to start of 2012. Hop on over and take a look at Staff Top 5s of 2011.

If asked to select your 5 favorite reads of 2011 could you do it? I'm going to try and I hope you'll join me. Here is my list (in no particular order).

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd - I read this one on the plane ride home to see my mom. Big Mistake. I sobbed through the last portion of the book, probably frightening those around me. Given what I know about the untimely death of Dowd, it made the tale even more moving. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I loved Karou and her relationship with Brimstone and got swept up in the mystery surrounding Karou's history. I was enchanted with Prague, the art, the chimaera, and Akiva (of course!). However, the kicker for me came at the end of the book. Just as I thought things were winding up -- no way! I should have seen it coming, and darn, now I must wait for book 2!

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul Janeczko - Heartbreaking, shocking, and brutally honest, Janezcko's poems pack an emotional punch. There is beauty in this collection, even though readers repeatedly experience loss and death. The humanity and strength of the victims, the depravity of the SS, and the horror that was the Holocaust  is evident in Janezcko's carefully chosen words. Reading this is like watching a train wreck—you want to look away, but can't. I wanted to stop reading, but couldn't put it down. 

Okay, I've got to head out to a meeting. Books 4 and 5 when I return. Until then, won't you join me in listing your top five of 2011?

Best Poems of 2011

I read a lot of poetry in 2001, yet I still can't imagine picking the single best poem I read. Never fear! If you're looking for some guidance on this issue, the good folks at NPR picked a few. Hop on over and check out Savage Beauty: The Top Three Poems of 2011.

Monday Poetry Stretch - Prose to Poem

I've been inspired by Walter Dean Myers' book We Are America: A Tribute From the Heart to reread the Declaration of Independence, portions of the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address and more. This got me thinking about transforming a prose document into poetry. Consider this your first found poem challenge of the year. Take a letter, a speech, a passage from a favorite book, any portion of prose with some meaning, and use words from it to write a poem. (Note that if you use excerpts from poems by other authors that you will be writing a cento. You can read more about the cento at Poets.org.)

I've been reading (for the umpteenth time) Walden: Or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau. Here's a poem I wrote based on the words from the chapter Winter Animals.

Hills rose up around me
and in misty weather loomed
like fabulous creatures.

I could walk freely
far from the village street,
where I heard the forlorn but
melodious note,
quite familiar to me,
of a hooting owl.

At length the jays arrived
with discordant screams.
Then came the chickadees
in flocks, hammering away
with their bills.

And once a sparrow
alighted upon my shoulder.
For a moment,
I felt more distinguished
by that circumstance
than by any epaulet
I could have worn.

So, there's your challenge. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

And the Finalists Are ...

The finalists for the 2011 Cybils are in! This year there was a new category (Book Apps) and as usual, many wonderful titles up for review.

Links to the finalists are below.

Book Apps
Easy Readers & Early Chapter Books
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Middle Grade)
Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult)
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Nonfiction for Middle Grade & Young Adult
Nonfiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction

I had the honor of serving on the round 1 panel for poetry. We had a wonderful group of judges who engaged in some thoughtful discussions about the award criteria and the nominated titles.

So, off you go! I  do hope some of your favorites made the lists.

Tuesday Poetry Stretch - Snow

William and I have been reading books about snow -- Snowflake Bentley, The Story of Snow, and The Secret Life of a Snowflake.

Sadly, we won't be having white holidays this year. In fact, it looks like it will be raining. Even though we don't expect to see flakes any time soon, we're still dreaming of snow angels, sledding, snowball fights, and hoping for at least one snow day.

Have you been dreaming of snow? Whether you love it or hate, we've all got some snow poetry in our hearts. I particularly like to read about it during this time of year. I'm fond of Dickinson (It sifts from leaden sieves,/ It powders all the wood,/ It fills with alabaster wool/ The wrinkles of the road.), Collins (Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,/ its white flag waving over everything,/ the landscape vanished,), Stevens (One must have a mind of winter/ To regard the frost and the boughs/ Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;) and many others.

So, I've been inspired to read and write about snow this week. How about you? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results later this week.

Monday Poetry Stretch - "Index" or "Table of Contents" Poem

If you could write your life or someone else's in an abbreviated form, what would it look like? This is the question I ask myself every time I read Paul Violi's poem "Index." You can read the poem at The Agonist. You may also be interested in Violi's words on the poem.

While thinking this might be an interesting form to try, I came across some "table of contents" poems.

So, I'm imagining this as something of a biographical (or autobiographical) list poem. Let's see what kind of poetry we can make of this, shall we? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results here later this week.

Elementary Math Work Stations

My students have begun to turn in their final projects for math. This semester, a few brave souls are putting all their materials online. As their work goes live, I'll link it here for those of you with an interest. 

Today I am highlighting the work of Christine Mingus. Check out her project entitled Playing With Patterns. You'll find kindergarten resources for at least 10 different station activities, all complete with downloads.

Encouraging Reluctant Mathematicians at Home - Part 1

Encouraging and nurturing the love of mathematics can be a challenge both at home and in the classroom. One way to support reluctant math lovers is to get them reading about math. There are many terrific books that include mathematical content or challenging puzzles to solve. Here are some titles that will encourage children to stretch their mathematical muscles in a different way.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - Take a journey with Milo, a young boy who drives through a magic tollbooth into the Lands Beyond and embarks on a quest to rescue the maidens Rhyme and Reason from exile and reconcile the estranged kingdoms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis. This is a great book for kids enamored of words and/or numbers.

Grandfather Tang's Story: A Tale Told With Tangrams by Ann Tompert and The Warlord's Puzzle by Virginia Pilegard are both stories that revolve around an ancient Chinese puzzle made from a large square cut into seven pieces. The seven shapes include a small square, two small triangles, a medium-sized triangle, two large triangles and a parallelogram. Kids can read the stories and follow along with their own set of tangrams!

• You can print some tangram puzzles as well as shape outlines for young children.
• Try out some tangram puzzles online.

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger - With full color illustrations, this book tells the story of a twelve year old boy and math hater named Robert, who meets the Number Devil in his dreams. Over  the course of twelve nights, the Number Devil illustrates different mathematical ideas using things like coconuts and furry calculators. Along the way he also takes Robert to Number Paradise where he meets different mathematicians.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett - Petra and Calder are preoccupied with Vermeer. When a Vermeer painting is stolen in transit from the National Gallery in Washington D.C. to the Chicago Institute of Art, they become intent on finding the painting and solving the mystery. Clues and mysteries abound.

• Calder carries a set of pentominoes in his pocket at all times, so be sure to print your own set to use while reading this one!
• Play pentominoes online.
• Learn more about the book, the author, and the other books in the series at the Scholastic site. 

 

Brown Paper School Math Books by Marilyn Burns - Don't let the publication dates fool you into thinking these are out of date (one was first published in 1975!). These are great books for helping kids see that math is fun and for everyone.

The Book of Think: Or How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size
The I Hate Mathematics! Book
Math for Smarty Pants

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - Eleven year-old Reynie Muldoon is intrigued by an ad in the paper that asks “Are You a Gifted Child looking for Special Opportunities?” Reynie and dozens of other children show up to answer the ad and take a mind-boggling series of tests, but only Reynie and three others are left at the end. Puzzles and mysteries abound in this adventurous tale. Sequels include The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

• After reading the books, try your hand at solving the puzzles in The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums.
• Play games for the gifted at the Mysterious Benedict Society site.
• Download and print some logic challenges.
• Get everyone involved and download the Family Reading Guide.

Books by Greg Tang - Greg Tang has written a series of books that encourage children to look for patterns in math and find more "economical" ways of solving problems.

The Best of Times: Math Strategies That Multiply
Grapes of Math: Mind Stretching Math Riddles
Math Appeal
Math Fables: Lessons That Count
Math Fables Too: Making Science Count
Math for All Seasons: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles
Math Potatoes: More Mind-Stretching Brain Food
Math-terpieces

 

The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures by Malba Tahan - Orginally published in 1949 as O Homem que Calculava, this book of mathematical puzzles was written by Júlio César de Mello e Souza and published under the pen name Malba Tahan.  The book is an enjoyable  series  of "Arabian nights"-style tales, with each story built around a classic mathematical puzzle. In each tale, Beremiz Samir uses his mathematical powers to "settle disputes, give wise advice, overcome dangerous enemies, and win for himself fame and fortune."

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin - Winston sees puzzles everywhere. Imagine his dismay when he gives his sister a box for her birthday, only to learn that it has a secret compartment containing four wood sticks with puzzle clues. Readers will solve puzzles right along with Winston and his sister Katie as they try to solve the mystery. The sequel to this book, The Potato Chip Puzzles, is also highly entertaining.

• Download puzzles from the Winston Breen books
• Check out the Winston Breen puzzle blog

Books by Theoni Pappas - Written in the same vein as the Brown Paper School Books, Pappas has written many books about math, my favorites of which are those where a cat explores the math in and around his house.

The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat
Further Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat

The Origami Master by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, Lissy's Friends by Grace Lin (picture books), and Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O'Connell George (poetry) are all books about origami. Paper folding is a great visual and spatial puzzler for kids and adults. It's also fun!

• You can get great paper at Origami Corner.
• Try making this origami crane.
• Here are directions on folding an origami frog. You can also try this origami math lesson which includes a "fabulous frog" reproducible.
• If you have trouble reading origami directions in print, try following along with the videos on this site. 

 

Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra by Wendy Lichtman - Tess is an eighth grade girl experiencing typical middle school problems--friends breaking promises, peers cheating on tests, the boy that may-or-may not be interested--as well negotiating some drama at home. Tess examines everything logically and views her world through the lens of mathematics.

"The way Sammy spoke about her mother made me think of what Venn diagrams look like when the two sets have nothing in common--like, for example, the set of odd numbers and the set of even numbers. Their intersection is called an empty set, because there's nothing in it. There's not one number that can be both odd and even. I didn't like thinking of Sammy and her mother like that--like an empty set." (p.49)

While the book isn't necessarily about math, Tess has many interesting mathematical insights and how they relate to the world we live in. 

That's it for now. Do you have a favorite book that offers something mathematical to puzzle over? If so, please share. I would love to add your ideas to this list.

Tuesday Poetry Stretch - Hay(na)ku

We tried this form back in 2009, so it's time to dig it out and try again! The hay(na)ku and was created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios. Here are the guidelines.

Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem of six words with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no other rules and no restrictions on number of syllables or rhyme.

Need some examples? You can find some Hay(na)ku poetry contest winners at the Hay(na)ku Poetry blog. There is also a thoughtful essay about the form at Dragoncave. As you'll see from the examples, some folks create poems comprised of several hay(na)ku strung together. 

So, what kind of hay(na)ku will you write? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll share the results here later this week.